Patrick van de Velde

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Patrick van de Velde, the Founder of Fronteering, started the organization to assist individuals and causes in the less visited places and last frontiers. Through this passion, he hopes to preserve the last wild places of this world.

What is your favorite travel memory?

Wow, there are so many!

My favorite memory from my more distant past would be traveling with my father and uncle when I was quite young. We were camping in the Serengeti in Tanzania. During the night, our camp was overrun by carnivorous driver ants.

A more recent favorite memory would be traveling to the Pantanal. Our pilot decided to dive and started to fly through the river just a few meters above the water.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Being involved with so many different volunteers and host organizations from so many different countries has changed me and I have grown in many ways.

Mostly in how I perceive and understand the world. I have also gained a greater understanding of who I am as a person.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I would probably participate in one of our programs with Amerindian communities in the Guyanese Amazon rainforest. I try to visit once a year or so and it is just one of the most beautiful places in the world and the people are just so amazing! Not to mention, it's also one of the best places in the world to watch wildlife and fish!

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

Something that makes Fronteering unique is the countries we focus on.

I am especially proud of how our team was able to set up our programs in Guyana. The remoteness of Guyana and the fact that the country still does not get any real tourism made it quite a challenge.

From having a meeting with tribal elders to cars breaking down in the middle of nowhere, seven-hour boat trips due to lack of water in the rivers, and riding bull carts. It was quite the challenge! The result is, however, that we have the most amazing programs set up in Guyana, and participants can make a real difference!

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

Fronteering focuses on different locations and programs than most other organizations. From volunteering as a dogsled handler in the Canadian Arctic to helping Amerindian communities in the Guyanese Amazon. We prefer to work in unique and more isolated locations and I believe this has made us stand out and be successful.